Trousers press



P. J. S. CORBY Nov. 1l, 1969 TROUSERS PRESS Filed Oct. `17, 1968 lll P. J. S. CORBY TROUSERS PRESS Nov. N., 1969 3 Sheets-Shea?. 2

Filed Oct. 17, 1968 Nov. 11, 1969 l P. J. s. coRBY 3,477,154

TROUSERS PRESS Filed OG. 17, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent O 48,016 Int. Cl. D06f 73/ 00 U.S. Cl. 38-71 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A trousers press has two flat members between which trousers are pressed. Each of two stretcher bars is movably mounted on a respective one of the two flat members, for gripping the upper part of the trousers between the stretcher bars during closing of the press and while the press is closed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a trousers press using electricity for heating. Such a press is disclosed in British Patent No. 928,293.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART It is known in a trousers press to provide for gripping and stretching the trousers before they are pressed. Thus, in the initial stages of closing the press, the cuffs at the lower end of the trousers are rst gripped by a cuff board, which comprises a separately relatively movable part of one f the two surfaces of the press. Also the upper end of the trousers is engaged by a movable stretcher board and with continued closing movement of the press the stretcher board causes the upper end of the trousers to be gripped between itself and one of the two surfaces of the press. The stretcher then moves and causes the trousers, gripped at each end, to be stretched. Finally the press closes on the ystretched trousers and heat is applied to them, so that the combined effect of stretching, pressing, and heating should cause the trousers to be pressed and neatly creased.

It has been found that, in the initial stage of closing the press, when the pair of trousers is gripped at top and bottom and stretched, and before the press is fully closed, differential stretching has occurred; that is, one leg of the trousers has been stretched more than the other; the result has been uneven pressing and creasing.

It is an object of this invention to avoid this disadvantage of the known trousers press. It is another object of this invention to provide a trousers press that is cheaper to make than the known trousers press.

According to this invention, a trousers press comprises two at members having facing surfaces between which trousers are pressed, characterised by the provision of a pair of stretcher bars for gripping between them the upper part of the trousers, each stretcher bar being movably mounted on a respective one of the two at members. The stretcher bars are movably mounted on the bars so that, during closing of the press, each bar engages a respective side of the trousers and is moved a distance equal to the distance of movement of the other until the press is fully closed, such movements of the stretcher bars including a component in a direction such that the trousers are stretched during closing. Since the stretcher bars move equal distances, the stretching effect on the two sides of the trousers is equal, as compared with the known yarrangement in which there is only a movable stretcher board which acts only on one side of the trousers, giving rise in effect to differential stretching.

Patented Nov. 11, 1969 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a trousers press in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a section on plane II--II of FIGURE l, showing the press closed, but with the trousers omitted, for clarity;

FIGURE 3 is similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the press open;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail cross section of the pair of stretcher bars shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the stretcher bars in their positions as they engage and grip a pair of trousers;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail perspective view of part of the back of the press;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged detail cross section of part of FIGURE 2, showing mounting of the cuff board; and

FIGURE 8 is a bottom plan, with parts omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a trousers press has two metal side frame members 1A and 1B of channel section, which are connected at the top by a cross-member 1C. Fixed to and extending between the members 1A and 1B is a first rigid, at, wooden member 2A on one face of which is held a resilient sheet 2B of foamed polyurethane plastic material, on which in turn is held a flexible sheet 2C of rubber in which are embedded electric wire heating elements (not shown). These heating elements preferably extend vertically.

A wooden cuff board 3 (FIGURES 2 and 7) is mounted on two screws 3A each xed to and extending rearwardly from the front flange 4 of a respective side member 1A, 1B. A hole 3B permits each cuff board to move rearwardly on its screw 3A against a compression spring 3C which is fixed at the region 3D to the respective screw 3A. In this manner the cuff board is movable rearwardly to accommodate, and at the same time grip the trousers cuffs (if any) when the press is closed. It will be seen that the flexible rubber sheet 2C extends over (but is not fixed to) the cuil board, whereas the resilient sheet 2B does not.

A second rigid, flat, Wooden member 5 has two transverse reinforcing bars 5A, 5B and a rearwardly extending hinge bar 5C at its lower end. Projecting downwardly from the hinge bar 5C is a hinge eye 5D, and extending through this eye 5D is a spring steel hinge bar 5E. The flat member 5 is hingedly connected by this arrangement to the side frame members 1A, 1B (as will be explained), so that it can be moved between the FIGURE 2 and 3 positions. Each of a pair of clamping and retaining arms 6 form part of a unitary structure, being connected by an integral cross-member `6B (FIGURE 6) which extends through horizontal slots 6C, one in each side frame member. The arms 6 run over rollers 7 and have elbow portions 7A for clamping the press shut, in known manner.

The flat member 5 is hinged to the side frame members 1A, 1B in that the spring steel hinge bar 5E is bowed under tension (see FIGURE 8) between the eye 5D and the frame members. Each end of the bar 5E is seated in a groove or depression 8 in a respective frame member, so that the effect is that the eye 5D is constantly drawn rearwardly (i.e. downwardly as viewed in FIGURE 8 and to the right as viewed in FIGURE 7). The lower end of the flat member 5 is thus also constantly drawn rearwardly, the eye 5D and bar 5E constituting a hinge connection. The upper part of the at member 5 is drawn rearwardly in known manner by the clamping action of the arms 6. When the press is open (FIGURE 3) the upper part of the iiat member 5 is retained by the ends 7B of the arms.

When the press is closed (see FIGURES 2 and 6) the first or rear at member 2A is pressed towards the second or front flat member 5, so that the front face of the flexible rubber mat and the rear face of the member 5 engage and press the trousers by two strong compression coil springs 9 each acting between cross-member 6B and flat member 2A, as is shown particularly in FIGURE 6.

Referring now to FIGURES 4 and 5, a pair of stretcher bars 10A, 10B are respectively mounted on the upper ends of wooden at members 2A and 5 by means of coil springs 11A and 11B. Each stretcher bar has at least two such springs, spaced apart along the length of the bar. Each spring has its upper leg 12 gripped within the hollow profile of the respective stretcher bar by a web 14. The lower leg 12A, 12B of each spring extends down into the respective member 2A, 5, the leg 12A being bent as shown. The coil springs 11A, 11B, are received between the lower edges 10C of the stretcher bars, and bias the bars towards the inner position shown in FIGURE 3. In the closed (FIGURE 4) position the bars press against each other against the force of the springs: in the FIG- URE 5 position the bars touch, for gripping the upper part of the trousers, ready for stretching.

The stretcher bars are preferably of a polystyrene and are slightly exible to permit some degree of bowing so as to accommodate for the increased thickness of the trousers seams.

The inner face of each stretcher bar has, in crosssection, a series of somewhat upwardly directed teeth 15 for gripping the trousers.

In using the press, a pair of trousers is placed in the press in the FIGURE 3 position. The front member 5 is then pushed back, with the arms 6 riding over rollers 7. When the front member reaches the FIGURE 5 position, the stretcher bars,` through their teeth 15 (which extend the full length of each stretcher bar in the form of ribs having the prole shown in FIGURES 4 and 5) engage and grip the upper part of the trousers; the lower end or cuffs of the trousers are already at this stage gripped between the lower end of member 5 and the rubber mat 2C over the cuff board 3, with the latter pushed back against the springs 3C.

On further closing of the press from the FIGURE 5 toward the FIGURE 4 position, the teeth 15 not only come closer together, but also-by virtue of the generally curved profile of the inner face of each stretcher bar and by virtue of the location of that face in relation to the spring 11A or 11B which constitute an approximate pivotal axis for the stretcher bar-move upwards. It may be said therefore that in moving from the FIGURE 5 position to the FIGURE 4 position the teeth 15 of the two stretcher bars execute as it were an upward rolling movement. And by this movement the trousers, held at the lower end by the cufr" board, are stretched.

It will be seen from FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 that the stretcher bars are so mounted that they move in identical fashion, and that the two sets of teeth 15 move substantially along a bisecting plane between the inner face of member 5 and the exposed face of the rubber heating sheet 2C. In this way an even stretching pull is applied to both sides of the trousers.

When the press is closed in the position shown in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 4, the member 5 is clamped and retained against the trousers and the rubber sheet 2C by the elbow portions 7A engaging over the rollers 7, in known manner.

The thickness and resilience of the sheet 2B is such as to permit the sheet 2C to iiex to accommodate as necessary the various thicknesses of material of the trousers, particularly the zone of increased thickness where the seams extend longitudinally of the trousers.

The sheet 2B is heated, but no electrical connections or control means are shown, as these are well known.

Although it is preferred that the resilient sheet should be on the member 2A as described above, other arrangements are possible. For example the resilient sheet could be on the member 5, faced by a second flexible sheet, with the exible heated sheet 2C directly on the member 2A.

I claim:

1. A trousers press comprising two flat members having facing surfaces between which trousers are pressed, characterized by the provision of a pair of stretcher bars 10A, 10B for gripping between them the upper part of the trousers, each stretcher bar being movably mounted on a respective one of the two at members 2A, 5.

2. A press according to claim 1 characterized in that the stretcher bars are movably mounted on the two Hat members in such manner, during closing of the press, each engages a respective side of the trousers and is moved a distance equal to the distance of movement of the other until the press is fully closed, such movements of the stretcher bars including a component in a direction such that the trousers are stretched during closing.

3. A press according to claim 1 characterized in that the stretcher bars are exible so as to be capable of bowmg.

4. A press according to claim 1 characterized in that the inner face of each stretcher bar is formed with a series of parallel ridges 15.

5. A press according to claim 4 characterized in that the ridges are of such shape that in a cross section of the bar they constitute a series of upwardly directed teeth 15.

6. A press according to claim 1 characterized in that each stretcher bar is mounted on a flat member by means of at least two coil springs 12 which urge the stretcher bars towards one another.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner 

